Twitter

Sunday, January 6

What do you like to do on Sunday? My recently discovered cousin Aga asked me through a text message. Discovered? Yes. I discovered just a few days ago that he’s been working in Sunset Road in Legian four months. He managed to shut people up from leaking the information on his whereabouts to me. He wanted to adjust his new life in Bali first before let someone close like me know. Funny though that he’s the one who actually broke the secret in the end. Ngga tahan katanya.

So I giggled. I told him that every day is Sunday in Ubud. Or in my case. I don’t work for someone so it’s all up to me, he could also find me working hard on Sunday. He told me that he plans to make a trip to Ubud after his laundry dry. I laughed out loud. This is one reason why I hardly believe he decided to live away from his mother. Being a 44-year-old bachelor, he was never parted from parents except the six years he spent in Malang, my hometown, when we spent our teenage years together back to twenty years ago.

I didn’t wait for him although I know it would be fun to meet again in different setting. Like me, he is also very much governed by mood. A graphic designer. An artist. Complicated. So I had decided how I would spend my day since morning. I have a plan?! I cleaned and tidied the house, a ritual I like to do every other day, and rearranged artworks. My simple place. I like to give it new energy every now and then. And I did.

I felt open and happy since morning. I didn’t feel like going out. I wanted to write and reply to numerous emails I hadn’t touched since last week. Now I understand the feeling of “not in the mood to write” because of the mood and the time that don’t match. I also start the day with a new spirit to write better, I mean with patience. The past few months I had left my past habit to leave my blog-post about a half-day before went published. Leaving a post for awhile gives me chance to spot mistakes while I re-read it before finally hit the publish button. It can be minor but still disturbing. I have to face the challenge to write in my other language. Starts today I would rediscover my patience in writing.

Someone caught my signal though. A good girlfriend who once lived in Jakarta and now in Manila responded to my year-end update. Her email, especially, has ignited my spirit to write more and better. She herself likes to read and write so it’s nice to know someone with same interests. I shared her Ubudblu as she is interested in reading more about living in Ubud. Like me before Ubud, she is a city girl with schizophrenia (her expression) of liking both simple Ubud and chaotic city lifestyles. So I’m happy to have connection with her again in a way. I look forward to sharing good books and our writings.

To complete my days with the unexpected re-connections, my close childhood girlfriend shared me good news that she has tied the knot again two weeks ago. I’m happy for her that now she has partner to share life especially after painful separation last year. I felt wow… so many changes around me. I’m not the only one who starts a new life!

I feel good to have re-connected with the people from the past. Having a good communication is always fun but time and circumstance can often be the constraints. Today I read in a magazine about the invention of Twitter by the founder of Blogger. I think the idea is aah. Simple. It connects people like short text / instant messaging -- real time. The idea is to answer one simple question “What are you doing?” It says even basic updates are meaningful to loved ones especially when they’re timely. Auch! I like to communicate but being hyper-connected through Twitter is like having someone follows me or overloads me with information. Thank you :-)

Photo of my old hair ornament with a phoenix.